Ignorance
by Obitobito
Summary: They could have been friends, and Obito didn't know what ate him inside: the fact that he was ignored by Kakashi, or the fact that he could not bring himself to be the one ignoring. (1/?) [Kakashi x Obito]


_[A/N: If things had gone the way they should have. If ninjas who shouldn't have passed away still lead their lives happily in the Village.]_

**Ignorance**

**part one: hot springs.**

After a whole week's worth of burdensome missions, the shinobis of Konoha gathered together to loosen up and spend time just among the guys. The plan was to enjoy a relaxing recess at a spa around the hot springs, and after a recreating bath everyone summoned up at the best barbeque place in the Village. A Friday night's agenda usually went more or less the same: the ninjas chilled out, talked (boasted) about previous missions and adventures with women, and messed with each other in a way only typical within male company. And, as usual, they drank to celebrate the good old times, youth and manhood - which most often only made a fair excuse for them to end up drinking themselves just slightly under the table.

When it came to relaxation, the Konoha Hot Springs sure was where it was at.

Or, rather: where it _usually_ was at.

"Ah! This is the best thing a ninja can wish for after a tough week!" Obito uttered a long moan of satisfaction and leaned his head back in his arms. He rested his back against the wall, enjoying the soft warm fumes of the sauna.

Steam rose slowly higher near the ceiling, circulating the groups of worn out ninjas seated lazily on three ascending rows of wooden benches. Soft scarce light came beaming drowsily into the room through a steamy glass door that divided the sauna from the bathing area. A dim haze filled the atmosphere, allowing a certain easiness of privacy: one could barely distinguish one's own toes from the dense mist.  
The pleasant vapory air was muffling out the sounds from across the space. Every now and then a single groan, sigh or a yawn could be heard; sounds of bare feet slapping on the tile floor.

"Damn straight," Asuma sighed somewhere near Obito and smiled with closed eyes. "Well, the best thing is waiting for me later when I get home, but this might as well be the second best, if you know what I mean."

Obito sneered. "Yeah, yeah. I've heard enough about how you and Kurenai-chan are… uh, getting things going."

"Maa, you're just jealous", Asuma chuckled at Obito's tone. "She's something else, isn't she?"

"Sure she is," Obito raised his brows and mumbled with a loitering intonation, "so were all the previous girls you've wooed with those wonderful womanizing tendencies of yours."

"Shut it, Uchiha. This is the real deal. I know it." Asuma grunted and rested his elbow on a banister.  
"Since you're such a manchild you probably can't digest this, but when you meet the person that's the right one for you, you'll just know it."

"Geez, Asuma. You're being a drag again."

Obito sighed heavily into the vapory air. He was twenty-five years old - _only!_ - and had already had enough of his friends trying to have an adult talk with him about settling down. So long the carefree days of not sacrificing a thought on marriage, babies and household. Long gone were the days of intensive and dangerous missions, months of training and traveling: focusing only on one's own development and true value as a ninja of Konohagakure. Now the most discussed matter within the group of guys seemed to be '_how nice it was having a cosy quiet evening at home cooking ramen or sushi with a girlfriend'_.

Obito frowned, the corner of his mouth twitching. _Go cook your bloody ramen and nuzzle on the couch in sweet candlelight. I have ninjutsu to obtain_.

An over-enthusiastic bawl came from the other side of Asuma and cut the tranquil mood into ruins like a blade - or more like a kunai flying through the mist straight into Obito's forehead. Gai's eager interference got a few sharp hushes and shushes from irritated nearby bathers.

"Aahh! Asuma-kun, I can see the beautiful gleam of Youth radiating from you! Yoos_shh~_!"

Asuma burst out in hearty laughter as Obito rolled his eyes into the ceiling._Mattaku._

There was a sudden light swish as the glass door was swiped to the side. A tall, slender form stepped in and closed the door quickly behind him, keeping the refreshing fumes inside and the excessively revealing light out. The steam hid the man's features. _Tap, tap, tap_, toes subtly against the wet tiles. The blurry air hardly gave the newcomer any difficulties as he swiftly found a seat on the other side of Obito.

"Yo." A short, coarse greeting was thrown carelessly in the air.

"Hey, Kakashi," Asuma's voice answered. "I suppose you've heard about the Third's plans on our new teams, huh?"

Obito shifted in his position, laying his hands down on his lap. They've already decided on each of the jounins' three disciples? He had just returned from a mission earlier in the afternoon and was obviously not given the news.

"Yeah", Kakashi said in a blunt manner. "Hmm, I hear I'm going to have an Uchiha in my team. Uchiha Sasuke, if I remember correctly."

"Eee, wha -?!" Obito snapped and turned in the direction of Kakashi's voice. "You? Why _you_?!"

"Because, from what I've been told, this one is top of his class. He needs the most skillful sensei," Kakashi hummed softly.  
"Should it take even nearly as long for him to awaken his Kekkei-Genkai as it took for you, Obito… well, I'm sure that won't be our problem anyway."

Obito could have sworn he saw a tiny glimpse of red flashing in his way in an instant of nanoseconds. It couldn't have been anything else than Kakashi's Sharingan: a spot-on addition to the mockery. Straightforward bullseye hit on Obito's weak point.

Obito could have punched the man's face in right then and there. If he had not had any respect for the harmonic etiquette of the public bathing house, Kakashi's beautifully straight nose would have been crushed into a damn grapple hitch in no time.  
For a moment, two opposite yet equivalent Sharingans met, staring directly into one another, holding the burning gazes as if embraced in a blinking game - except this game was no child's play, it was about life and death. The life and death of Obito's pride, that is: his pride that always seemed to get kicked into mud and stepped over whenever Kakashi was present.

"Fuck off, Kakashi! Watch your mouth or I'll kick your face in!"

"I think it's your turn to go cool off a bit, Obito. Your face looks quite red."

If it wasn't for Yamato, Obito would have gone for it.

"Oi, oi, Kakashi, Obito!" Yamato raised his voice from the opposite bench. "No Sharingans, Byakugans nor any sort of indecent eye techniques allowed in the bathing house! You know very well why!"

Obito growled in frustration. Kakashi closed his eyes. The two red flashes in the mist disappeared.

Obito couldn't stand Kakashi. He didn't know what made his ex-team member so especially hard to deal with, besides Kakashi's constant lack of respect. Obito knew plenty of ninjas who seemed to have a stick up their ass, but this one - damn him! This one was starting to be the stick up Obito's ass! _Uh, metaphorically stated._

There was a moment years back when Obito was certain they had become something that resembled friends, at least team mates. He was the one that had saved Kakashi from the giant rumbling rocks that fell down upon them and almost crushed them both to death. It could have been fatal to them. To him, it had been fatal. It was only due to their sensei's unhesitant strategies and the actuation of forbidden medical ninjutsu that his wounds were able to be treated. If Minato-sensei had come a single minute later, the attack would not have left him with only a few brutal scars here and there; half of his body would have been permanently lost. He would be dead.

They were only kids at the time, and already then as different from each other as the sun was from the moon. However, there had been a shared look between them at that moment which was something else than detest and loathing. Obito had seen his own eye looking back at him, but those tears that he saw were not his own. It was the first and the last time he ever saw Kakashi crying.  
They could have been friends, and Obito didn't know what ate him inside: the fact that he was ignored by Kakashi, or the fact that he could not bring himself to be the one ignoring.

Obito was not sure whether Kakashi remembered this. For all he knew, he was dead to Kakashi anyway.

"Go settle your troublesome problems outside, if you have to." They heard Nara Shikaku's nasal, typically fed up mutter.

"Nah, I don't have a problem here", Kakashi yawned and stood up, gracefully striding down the benches and stepping onto the tile. Before turning his back to the others he faced Obito's way:

"You sure talk big. Always talking big, aren't you? Considering the physical state of… things…"  
He took a break and moved his glance from Obito's face down to his feet.  
"…if I were you, I wouldn't. Not to me."

It was a voice that came with a sly, exultant smile.

And with that the man was off, leaving the rest of the ninjas uncertain whether to crack up in laughter or switch the subject simply out of sympathy towards Obito, who suddenly felt that being dead was in fact a quite preferable option.


End file.
